Cytomel dosage depression
Common Questions and Answers about Cytomel dosage depression
cytomel
Can someone help me with my dosage increases? Ok I just moved up from 37.5 to 50mcg of levothyroxine. I begin to feel heavy headed, depressed, hopeless, low tolerance, verrrrryyyyy emotional. Is this normal and does it go way? I have to get higher than 50 because my t4 at 37.5 mcg is .61 ( .60 - 1.8). I just need help in knowing how to raise my dosage and are these side effects normal. Yesterday I felt suicidal. But prior to my increase I felt just ok but not emotional. Thanks!
So it makes complete sense to me to try to slowly work up your T4 dosage by as Barb says with a smaller T3 cytomel dosage taken twice a day.
This process will be slow. The more "traditional" of maybe common process for thyroid is to go the exact opposite route. It is to start out on a T4 only medicine and work up the dosage until you either feel well or you get to 50% of the range. At that point the addition of cytomel (T3) is added SLOWLY.
Patience is not my long suit. But as soon as Endo saw this, he increase my generic Cytomel to your dosage 5 mcg twice a day. He did not touch the T4 despite the low level. Hopefully this will work for me as well. Thanks for your thoughts. Always appreciated.
My question was just about the unusual jump from 5 to 25 by the manufacturer. I realize just add another but was curious about those who need more than 10. I guess 25 would be good if someone needs 50mcg a day.
You might consider going up to 5mcg's of Cytomel. Usually the dosage of Cytomel is 5-10% of the T4 dosage and at 2.5 you are taking less than that. Plus, your free t3 has room to move up. Most feel best with a free t3 over 350.
After having two thyroidectomies and radioactive iodine for thyroid cancer (1997), I have been on 75 mcg of cytomel for 13 years. My new doctor wants to lower my dosage significantly because she says my tsh level is too low. I have already changed to 50 mcg daily. I am afraid to go any lower. What should I do?
Wow...that was a high dosage of cytomel to start you on! Probably why you reacted so badly. First....what were your lab results before you started with the cytomel? How low was your free t3? A typical start dosage is only 5 mcg and work up from there only if needed.
You cannot pay attention to the tsh when on a t3 med...it will supress it and make you look hyper. When on combination meds, you can only treat by the free t4 and free t3.
Lupo
I have been on 15 mcg for about 6 years due to slightly low thyroid function and depression. Overall the meds have worked well, but I tend to get sweaty sometimes. I have been seeing a new doctor and have discovered that I have hashimoto's thyroiditis (high thyroglobulin antibodies). My T4 is low and my T3 is borderline low. My doc has switched me to a combination of levo. and armour instead of the cytomel.
Both your FT4 and FT3 are too low, as is your Vitamin B-12. Did you have any other iron related tests done, such as Ferritin, and the rest of the iron panel? It looks as though your iron level could stand to be a bit higher. Ferritin is the iron storage hormone and that's low, it means you have no iron in storage, either.
Have you considered increasing your T4 dosage?
After that I was put on 50 mcg Synthroid for a year and that was when I started having severe depression. I have been on 150 mg zoloft for close to a year now. My psychiatrist basically said that my depression has nothing to do with my hormones or lack of it. I decided to dose myself recently with 112 mcg Synthroid and after about 3 weeks into it my brain fog cleared and my depression is 90% better.
4.51 m[IU]/L 0.36 - 3.74 m[IU]/L- TSH
THYROXINE FREE 1.05 ng/dL 0.76 - 1.46 ng/dL- Free T4
She decided that malabsorption must be playing a role in high doses with minimal response. She had me see a GI to get tested for Celiac. 3 of the 4 tests came back positive. However, the endoscopy did not show any signs of damage at this point that would be preventing me from absorbing or continuing to eat Gluten (I do not have negative physical symptoms from consuming gluten).
My psychiatrist suggested that Cytomel may help some with depression and also with the tiredness and sleepiness I have had for years.I went to internet and read about hypothyroidism and how it often is undiagnosed due to normal blood test. Well I was uneasy about the Cytomel at first but when i saw how many of the symptoms of hypothyroidism I have I wondered if that isn't my problem. I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia also and wondered if that has anything to do with the thyroid.
Had you been diagnosed with a thyroid issue prior to being placed on the cytomel; or did your psych give it to you simply because of the depression issue?
Sorry, Im not very familiar with these numbers. I was unclear on the difference so I will say Total T3. I just saw the range was 0.04-0.57. I didn't know that that wasn't my actual number. The cytomel dosage is 5 mcg daily. My T4 was orginally way too low but bc I had been taken a higher dosage of levo it shot thru the roof and my level was too high. Im not sure of the number. I felt fine on the high dosage but the doc said it was dangerous.
I am soooo confused on this issue. I had half my thyroid removed in 03. My Dr. Says I have Depression, I say that because he changed my meds it's due to that. I have been on 137 mcg of levothyroxine and 50 mcg of cytomel for 2 years and felt great. He recently re-ran blood work and said I needed to cut back. He lowered me to 173 mcg of levo and 25 of cytomel. All my previous symtoms returned and I feel like ****. So I switched to 137 mcg AND .50 mcg of levo.
She has had me taking various levels of Synthroid and one Cytomel tablet daily for the two years I have been seeing me. She requests that I get my TSH tested nearly every 5 weeks and nearly every time the dosage needs to be adjusted. My sister and my dad both have hypothyroidism also, but they only have the levels checked about once a year. My question is: Does it seem normal that my thyroid meds should need to be adjusted constantly?
5 and 10 cytomel caused a tsh over 2, he suggested I take 10 cytomel and 75 of syn every day except sunday than take 1/2 75. This is not a good solution for me because I feel I ahve side effects from the cytomel and my ft3 and ft4 are still lower than when I took straight t4 meds.
I thought a good compromise would be more t4 meds and 5 of cytomel along with a switch to a medicine that worked better for me before like Unithroid.
Can I come off cytomel cold turnkey without side effects? My primary doctor put me on cytomel for chronic fatique/depression. He started me on 25mcg. I felt better so he increased to 50mcg. I said to him at my last appt that it didn't seem to be working and he said we'd go to 75mcg. He said "we can go to 100mcg and then we'll check your thyroid sometime".
I agree with barb about how to take Cytomel. I just have to question the meds and dosage. Why did the doctor decide to prescribe Cytomel only and why start with such a large amount? The daily dosage of 50 mcg of Cytomel is the equivalent of 200 mcg of a T4 med. In addition, Cytomel (T3) is such a fast acting med that I can easily envision unwanted reactions. Many of our members report on adverse reaction to such a large dosage.
How long have you been on the thyroid medication? The cytomel could give you the hot feeling, if the dosage is too high, but 5 mcg is a pretty small dose, as is 25 mcg levo. It does take time for the medication to build in your system and it's not unusual for symptoms to worsen or for new ones to show up, as your body adjusts to the medication.
Please post the actual results of your thyroid tests and be sure to include reference ranges, which vary lab to lab.
like I mean it was so close to starting when I went in for my checkup there was blood in my urine, I am more tired now than ever before, notice more hair loss, depression seems worse, and have gained about 7 pounds. When I went in today for my results I was told my thyroid showed NO change....so he took one the next baby step and upped my synthroid to .75. Here is where the "crazy" part comes.... I have a friend who started cytomel and saw almost immediate results....
I firmly believe that cytomel should be taken at the lowest possible dosage no matter what conditions you have, but of course, I'm not a doctor, so you should most certainly follow your doctor's instructions/recommendations as s/he will know your situation better than we can on this forum. Cytomel can tip the scale to hyper rather quickly and I rather stay a bit hypo than have that happen.
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